Leyland helped the Tigers win three straight division titles and two American League pennants. He guided them to the World Series in 2006 and last year.

Leyland’s announcement came two days after the Tigers were eliminated from the ALCS by the Boston Red Sox in six games.

Leyland, who worked under one-year contracts the past few seasons, asked Dombrowski to meet him for coffee in Kansas City on Sept. 7.

“The conversation basically went like this,” Leyland said. “I said, ‘Dave, I don’t know what your plans are for next year.’ He said, ‘Well, you’re my manager.’ I said, ‘Well, I’m not going to be the manager.’ ”

Leyland said he was “low on fuel” and the travel was getting rough.

Leyland said he told players after Saturday’s loss — “I didn’t know how to take it when they clapped,” he said, joking — but didn’t want the decision to become public until after the weekend out of respect to the Red Sox.

“You’ve got your head down, you lost and the season’s over, and then Jim dropped that bomb on us,” outfielder Torii Hunter said.

Leyland had a 1,769-1,728 record during stints with the Tigers, Pittsburgh Pirates, Florida Marlins and Colorado Rockies.

Report: Price to manage Reds

CINCINNATI – Bryan Price, a former Mariners pitching coach, will be named manager of the Cincinnati Reds on Tuesday, The Cincinnati Enquirer reported.

Price, 51, will replace Dusty Baker, who was fired after six seasons.

Price has been Cincinnati’s pitching coach since 2010.

According to the Enquirer, the only confirmed candidate for the job other than Price was Jim Riggleman — a former Mariners manager.

Notes

• Don Mattingly said his 2014 contract option vested with the Los Angeles Dodgers’ first-round playoff victory over Atlanta, but he isn’t sure he will be back as manager next season. Mattingly’s option, worth $1.4 million, would allow him to return, but team officials have yet to say much about his future. General manager Ned Colletti told media he supports Mattingly’s return. It was apparent while Mattingly talked he would like a multiyear deal. “It’s pretty easy to figure out,” he said.

• Detroit slugger Miguel Cabrera might need surgery to repair a strained groin that he suffered Sept. 21, but he is expected to be recovered by next season, Dombrowski said.

• Blocked from holding a news conference to present a person they described as a “major-league baseball whistle-blower,” lawyers for New York Yankee Alex Rodriguez asked that the rest of the grievance hearing to overturn the third baseman’s 211-game drug suspension be opened to the public.